Comfy
by Sweeite8188
Summary: Emily is struggling with the immediate aftermath of her fathers death as well as the new relationship with a supervisor. based in season 4 H/P and slightly AU. I own nothing. Please read and review! Happy New Year :
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: They're not mine, I know :(

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He had been terrified today. Yes, even Aaron Hotchner had the ability to get scared. Of coarse, there were no outward signs of this terror to his team but the feeling coursed through his body none the less.

The gunshots had sounded and Hotch drew his weapon instantly, directing his team to surround the psychopath. This process was so automatic that it felt like nothing. But when he heard her screaming, when he turned and saw her blood cascading down her arm, and when he saw the single tear that escaped from her eye, his heart split in two for the pain she was going through.

The idea that if that bastard had had only a couple more minutes with her, she might be dead right now killed him. So much that he wanted to rip something apart. Pull the seams and make something break because than maybe this would be okay.

Hotch's head was spinning as they loaded her into the ambulance, fighting the medics like hell. He could see that Emily was at her wits end, and was just about to loose it. She hated being taken care of and she hated being weak. That's probably why she wouldn't look him in the eye. Not until he softly reprimanded her, making it an order that she accept the treatment and shut up.

Hotchner shuttered as he was given the option to get out before they left for the hospital. Why the hell would he leave her? Her arm had a fucking hole in it. That's when Hotch knew that he couldn't deny his feelings anymore. In that moment, nothing else really mattered_. _He had followed the rules his entire life, and Hotch was tired of being screwed over by the results. Staying away from her just made his bed so much colder at night. Sometimes, the chill actually made him 's why Hotch couldn't stay away anymore. He clutched her hand tightly, trying to give Emily as much comfort as possible. The rules just didn't matter anymore. They couldn't.

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Emily wasn't annoyed or irritated. After being shot and admitted to a hospital, once Emily got back to Quantico she wasn't really upset. She was only tired.

Just as she was getting comfortable, she heard a sturdy knock on the door. She groaned as she forced herself up off the couch. The events of the day seemed to wear on her already tired state, and she couldn't even bring herself to pour a glass of wine to drink the day into oblivion.

"Who the hell could that be?" She mumbled angrily to herself.

"Hotch?!" Emily looked stunned once she saw who was behind the door the door.

"Hey." That word, so simple. His face so raw and un-Hotch like that Emily didn't know how to take it.

"Um, hey." She answered back. And before things got a chance to get awkward, Hotch started talking.

"I stopped by to see how you were." Emily squirmed slightly as Hotch looked he over, the silence not nearly as bad as his cold, hard stare.

"I'm fine, Hotch, no need to worry." She assured him, crossing her arms over her chest in a pathetic attempt to hide from him. She didn't have the guts to actually move away from him. Or the will to even try.

"Want to come in?" She invited, without thinking at all. _What are you doing? Inviting your boss into your apartment! He sure as hell isn't looking at you like he's your boss. _The truth was, Emily would have invited him anywhere just to get him to stop looking at her like that. Well she couldn't make him go away, and the only other thing was to let him in. Her tiredness seemed to deplete when she saw his smile. Damn that was gorgeous. This man had her, whether it was allowed or not. Hotch always lifted her up so she smiled back at him as she stepped aside.

"Thank you." Hotch said as he came in. He went right for the couch, the one Emily was just sitting on, and sat down contently. Almost like he did this every day. It was to comfortable for Emily. Something about this whole set up made Emily really nervous. She couldn't comprehend why.

"Can I get you anything?" She asked, following him tentatively.

"No." He answered simply. Again with the small simple words! Jesus he could be so hard to read sometimes.

Hotch was shocked that she invited him in. He thought he was going to have to force his way in tonight, convincing her that he needed to talk to her and that everything would be a fight, but she was always surprising him.

"You sure? Water? Soda?" she suggested. He just shook his head.

Giving up, she plopped down next to him on the couch, a full cushion apart. Emily couldn't help it, she let out a painful gasp. Her damn shoulder was relentless in hurting no matter what motion Emily made. Hotch ached for her. A bullet's a bitch.

"I'm so sorry about your shoulder, Emily." He looked up at her with the most apologetic eyes. The light brown eyes made her melt. Her heart fluttered and Emily cheeks burned a little.

Damn it, she couldn't take this! She had no clue what was going and it scared the shit out of her. Her boss is sitting in her home making her feel so, so comfortable. So not what your boss should make you feel.

"What are you doing here, Hotch? This isn't normal. You wouldn't be making an 11 pm stop to Morgan's house if he had been shot." Emily rambled on. Hotch just ignored her, looking around. He was enjoying the exclusive glimpse into her private life, he felt so included. Glancing down, a game of Monopoly caught Hotch's eye.

"Monopoly? You play in your free time or something?" He joked, looking back into her eyes. She stood up, grabbing the box in a huff. Sitting on her couch was one thing, judging her clutter was another.

"My nephew was here a couple weeks ago. I haven't had a chance to clean up, considering we've been away on a case." She answered defensively.

Hotch stod up quickly and grabbed the box from her hand, feeling slightly awkward. He didn't know why, but he sat down and opened the box.

"What are you doing!" Emily demanded, shocked.

"Play with me," Hotch looked up at her, "come on." He prodded.

Emily stared down at the scene, playing out before her. She almost wanted to laugh. "Hard-ass Hotchner wants to play Monopoly? Seriously?" Emily taunted him. She sat down next to him and began to collect the 50 dollar bills from the massive pile of fake money.

Hotch had to look down at the board to hide his grin. Emily had just sat down, and willingly played with him. He knew it was weird, being so excited about a juvinilee game but this was Emily he was talking about! The very fact that their relationship could get anywhere near this point gave him hope.

"I do a lot of surprising things after work." He commented, a couple seconds later.

"I guess you do." Emily said, looking at him.

"I guarantee you." Hotch continued the quip as he looked into her eyes. Her face was mesmerizing and Hotch couldn't get enough of it. It was like a drug.

Emily was so confused, everything that was happening seemed so unreal. His gaze was so intense, just beaming into her. Something magical and real was happening between them, undeniable. Emily didn't want it to stop.

Hotch couldn't control himself. He didn't want to anymore. The daring agent hesitantly began to lean towards Emily, their faces approaching closer and closer. Their kiss seemed eminent, their lips so close they could feel each others breath. Hotch just wanted to know what it would be like. It had been so long since he had even considered anyone else besides Haley and Emily was just so appealing, he needed to feel her lips on his. Hotches eyes began to close, just as Emily spazingily turned her head.

The motion so awkward and shocking to Hotch that it didn't register right away. He almost kissed her freaking ear. He shuttered and turned away feigning hurt.

Emily released a shaky breath she had been holding. "Do you want to be the dog, or the thimble?" She gasped out, staring down at the tiny metal in her hand. She didn't want to look up She didn't want to know what was happening in his head right because she really couldn't even handle her own god damn issues.

_Jesus freakin christ! I almost kissed Hotch! My boss! I actually __wanted __to kiss my boss. God, I'm such a slut. _

"Ugh, thimble." He answered, sounding so disappointed. He went to take the shiny silver piece from her hand, and when their skin touched, Emily felt electricity. She felt that tingle rush up her arm.

"I'm, ugh, going to go get a drink or something. You can, um, finish setting up the game." Emily stood up, rushing out of the room. She couldn't breathe in that room. She couldn't breathe with her boss sitting so intimately next to her, his eye so comfortably close to hers. Not touching, yet so close and soon to be touching. Like their lips had been. Oh god, she needed to leave. So, to the kitchen she escaped.

Emily was more concerned with the fact that she liked it so much. Before she had really realized what was happening, the feelings were there. And they were so undeniable.

"Emily." She heard his voice from behind her. Instantly her muscles tensed. He cleared his throat, reminding her he was their. She breathed deeply, preparing herself for whatever conversation was coming. She saw what was happening, but the idea was so foreign. Rapping her mind around it seemed so impossible.

She turned, finally, seeing him standing there in his classic grey suit. Emily then truly noticed at that moment how attractive he was. Dark hair with stunning brown eyes. His face laid gorgeously upon his body, which Emily knew was built.

"I don't know what is going on here, Hotch, but I'm not so sure I like it." Emily spurted out. She couldn't deal with this. Crossing these lines, it was so terrifying.

"Aaron." Hotch stated simply.

"What?" she snapped out. "Hotch, what the hell are you talking about? Don't screw with me like this!" Emily forced out bitterly. She stepped up to stand toe to toe with him, making sure he knew she was dead serious.

He didn't back down, just shrugged his shoulders. "Call me Aaron… that's all that I meant." He held her steady gaze.

"Aaron!" she screamed, "I don't know what you think what's going to happen here, but I'm sure as hell not going to let you take advantage of me. You're my boss, my supervisor. **Nothing can happen between us."** Emily punctuated every word of that last sentence, breaking their eye contact. She stepped back, not even believing what she had just said.

Hotch got even closer to her. "Don't say that." He whispered. "Please don't say that." He begged.

She looked into his eyes and saw his sincerity. "You really want this?" She spit out at him. He stared back at her with those same eyes, as if he was about to give one of those one-word, simple phrases that drove Emily insane.

"Yea." He nodded.

Emily stared at him, her rage growing. Hotch didn't think anything else could ever be cuter. Screw it. Life was just too short. Hailey had taught him that. Years of marriage wasted, gone.

So he did what felt right. Outside of the job and the protocol and the criminals, Hotch did what felt good. He kissed her.

Grabbing the back of her head, he eagerly pushed his lips against hers, forcing his tongue into her mouth. Emily would have thought that Hotch would have been gentle and sweet.

But he was the exact opposite. Rough and passionate, and acting so dominate. Emily was so shocked. She absolutely loved this.

It felt so amazingly right to her.

But it was way to fast. She pulled away, with a slight whimper.

Panting, Emily was instantly trying to explain. After all, she was a profiler. She knew how he was feeling. "This is just to fast for me Hotch. I like you, god, I had no clue before but I really like you." She smiles at his smile, considering it a good sign. I just can't go getting so physical with my boss. Not so fast.'

She was still panting with exertion, and trying to read his face for a reaction. But, of coarse, he had morphed back into his hard shell exterior and she couldn't read a thing.

He nodded, at least, giving her something.

"Please call me tomorrow." He tightened his hold, needing her to understand how serious he is about pursuing her.

"I will." She answered, whole-heartedly.

He smiled, that rare Hotchner smile that made Emily's stomach flutter. He bent down, kissing her cheek and lingering every so slightly as he was pulling away. Just so she'd know what he was restraining himself from.

And just like that, he was gone, the door closing with a bang. Seconds later Emily was back on her couch with an aching shoulder. The only thing she seemed to be focused on, though, was the undeniable feeling of regret, for making him leave.

Staring at the monopoly game still lying there, she chuckled at everything that had just developed. Simply amazing.

Emily had no clue what was in store for her, though, as she trudged to her bedroom to get changed, take a pill and fall asleep.

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tbc..

What do you think?? Please review.. I've worked on this for awhile and I hope it's good :)


	2. Chapter 2

I think I've made this as perfect as possible, and I cant wait to see what poeple think.. plz review!! And enjoy :)

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing.

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Emily awoke to the ringing of her cell phone. Not exactly the most pleasant way to wake up after a restless night of sleep, which of coarse was caused by encounter that night with her boss.

When she saw the caller ID, Emily instantly knew something was wrong. Her mother was calling her. Emily was positive something horrible had happened, because she barley talks to her mother under normal circumstances, not to mention 4 am on a Saturday morning.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Emily sounded alert answering her phone, as she switched on the lamp at her bedside.

"Em, sweetie, I can't-" Ambassador Prentiss sobbed, "say this … I don't know-" sob, "how to say this." Her mother was hysterical and Emily had no clue what she was trying to say.

"Mom, mom please calm down. What happened?" Emily's voice was calm and level, but on the inside she was panicking. She knew that this had to be a terrible event to reduce the "Almighty Ambassador Prentiss" to tears.

Emily heard her mother blow her nose. "Your father, he died."

There was a long pause where Emily's mother had gone dead silent because she was waiting for her daughter response, which never came.

"He, ugh, he had a heart attack." She continued. A few seconds later, Emily still hadn't answered. So she went on, hoping her daughter wasn't in as much pain as she was.

"They brought him to some hospital, but honey-" Sob. "it did no good. He-" Another sob. "died as soon as he arrived."

Ambassador Prentiss heard nothing but the sting of silence and she was instantly worried for her daughter.

"Emily, honey, please say **something.**" She pleaded with her daughter.

Emily couldn't believe what she heard. Her father was so young, and he never had any heart issues! What the hell was that?! This was all just so sudden … and Emily couldn't help but snap right into agent mode, and treat it like another case. What else could she do? Dealing with her fathers death, its way too much and way too painful.

_No, this was not happening. This did not happen. He's alive, he's fine, he can't be dead. _Emily thought_. _The tears began to stream down her cheeks but her fight face remained, and her voice was still strong.

"What hospital, mom, I'll be right there." Emily stated flatly.

"No, sweetie, don't come. There is nothing to do here." Ambassador Prentiss said shakily. She couldn't have her daughter come down here, see her like this. Emily heard her mother sob again.

"So I'll come and take you home, I'll help with the funeral." Emily sounded to calm, and it scared her mother.

"No, Em." The ambassador answered strongly. "It's all taken care of. Regina is handling the funeral, and it's-"

"Your letting your assistant handle your husbands funeral?!" Emily screamed into the phone. Her mother could now hear tears in Emily's voice, and was slightly relieved. The Ambassador responded quickly to the attack, just glad that her daughter was now responding.

"You know as well as I do that she is family; she's worked with me for 14 years." Ambassador Prentiss quickly defended one of her favorite workers. "She'll handle it."

Emily couldn't respond to her mother's strong words. This was all just too much. Emily gripped her phone tighter, slowly lowering herself to sit back down. Oh god this couldn't be happening.

"I'll come by tomorrow, and we'll go to the wake. The funeral should be on Monday." The silence was daunting. Ambassador Prentiss was getting nervous, her daughter should be saying **something**. "Sweetie, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yeah mom, I'll see you tomorrow. I love you." Emily whispered out flatly.

"I love you too." And with that final thought, Ambassador Prentiss was hung up on.

Emily was shocked. _You really don't know what life is going to throw at you. _Emily thought bitterly, throwing her phone on the bed with way to much force.

Her father was the best man she ever knew. Strong, caring … He was always there for her when she needed him, but not anymore.

Emily couldn't handle this, not alone. She began to openly sob as she grabbed her phone. Her body was shaking and she could barely hold the device, but through that and her blurred vision, Emily managed to press speed dial number 3.

She sniffed and brought the phone up to her ear, still shaking like she was stuck in the middle of an ice storm. That's what it felt like, truly in Emily's heart. Her daddy was gone and now her life was just like an ice storm. Wandering around cold and uncovered with no help in sight. Though she had a horrible relationship with her mother, with her father Emily was different. He was never so strict on everything, always a creative person. In high school, when Emily was running a thousand miles a minuet to rebel from her mom, her dad was actually on her side. Emily had lost that connection now and she wasn't sure if she'd ever be the same again.

When a deep, groggy voice answered kept buzzing in her ear, Emily realized he had picked up. A part of her was so relived that he would be here for her like this at 4 am. She liked it.

"Prentiss?" He asked, his voice increasingly on edge. He was beginning to think this was about work. He couldn't help it if his mind instantly went to her being stuck in a ditch somewhere in the middle of the night, half dead.

"Aaron." She only said one word, but he heard her plea. He could tell she was crying, and something had to be wrong.

"Em, what's wrong? What happened?" Now he was panicking. This woman wouldn't sneeze in front of him, let alone call her crying at in the morning.

"I, ugh, I-"she continued to sob. He knew she wasn't coherent.

"Emily, are you ok? Did someone hurt you? Sweetie please talk to me." He pleaded right back at her. Aaron was already up from bed, putting on some sweats while balancing his phone on his shoulder. He was going to go to her, where ever that was.

"I'm fine, Aaron." She lied horribly. Her throat was feeling so scratchy and painful, the crying truly affecting her down to her core. She didn't do this, she never just let it all out. Especially in front of her boss. "I'm at my house, ple- please come." She sputtered out.

"I'm on my way." He stated automatically. There was no doubt in his mind he was going to go to her, help her with whatever the hell was making her sob like this. It hurt him to hear such a strong woman break down this way. "Give me 15 minuets, Em, and I'll be there." He guaranteed her.

"Thank you." She whispered out. Then, she hung up.

Hotch closed his phone and ran out the door, praying to god that Emily is ok.

****

She heard the knock on the door, and literally ran straight to it.

She opened the door, hearing the usual squeak from the older door hinge.

And there he was.

"Aaron." She whispered again, her voice getting caught in her throat and cracking.

He saw the tears on her face, and heard the distress in her voice. He succumbed to an urge that he had had for months. He stepped forward, with his arms wide open.

She fell thankfully into his embrace, sobbing on his un-Hotch-like plaid shirt. He could feel the liquid leaking onto his shirt and almost through the cloth, but none of that mattered. Hotch needed to know what happened.

"Emily, please, look at me." She complied, lifting her head from his chest to look up at him.

He wiped her tears with his thumbs, his strong hold gripping her face, although the liquid kept falling silently. "What happened?" he whispered.

Emily pulled away slightly, looked down at the floor again, but composing herself slightly.

"My, ugh, my dad died." Wow, did that ever feel like the strangest thing she had ever said. She sniffled, lifting her head again. The second her eyes met his again, she burst into tears.

He just hugged her, pulling her as close to him as possible. "I'm so sorry, Emily, it's going to be ok." He kept repeating these phrases and comforting words over and over.

He reached over her to close the door, and then lead her over to the couch. He sat, holding her arms and pulling her down. She fell right into him again, willingly and brokenly. She was such a mess.

He just held her. For two minuets or two hours, Hotch didn't know. But it didn't matter. He waited for her sobs to subside.

When they did, she just rested on his chest, looking up at him. She was enjoying the steady heartbeat and the rhythm of his breathing.

"Thank you so much for coming." Emily told him, closing her eyes against his comfort.

"Anytime, sweetheart, for any reason. I'm here for you Emily." He leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Do you want to talk about it?" He prodded gently.

She just shook her head. She then spotted the game of monopoly on her coffee table and remembered there previous game.

"Come on," she said normally, wiping her face. She grabbed the box. "Let's play." She said with finality.

"Emily…" He gave her a warning tone. Her father just died, _why would she want to play some stupid board game?_

"Aaron," she snapped back, "play this with me." Emily punctuated every word, making sure he knew she was dead serious. She turned from him and pulled the top off the box, and taking the board out.

"Emily, why? Your father just passed on and-" Hotch was trying to be gentle, and not to sound harsh but she made that difficult. Anyway, she cut him off.

"Please, I need my mind on some other stuff. I've cried for hours and my mom won't let me plan the damn funeral or go to the damn hospital and I have no family to call, and I'm not hungry or tired so, please, let me keep busy with **something**." She finished with a pleading look on her face.

The look of determination and plain strength on her face after she finished reminded Hotch what he liked about this woman in the first place. He had no choice but to agree to a stupid game.

"Of course." He said. "But let me go into the kitchen to find," He saw that she was about to fight him because he was trying to feed her so he quickly turned the sentence around, "something **for me** to eat. I'm so hungry." He winked at her, rising off the couch.

She smiled and thanked him again as he entered the kitchen. He was so understanding, my god, Emily was so thankful. He couldn't be any more perfect.

He knew exactly what he would make. Something she definitely never denies. He looked the cupboards till he found what he was looking for. And then he did.

Hotch opened the microwave and placed the bag of popcorn on the clear plate. He closed the door, starting the machine.

Hotch sat on the counter as he began to hear faint popping sounds. His mind began to wander to the woman in the living room, and how he would get her to talk. He himself knew much more than anyone else that holding in your emotions made you cold, turning you into a different person.

She suddenly appeared in the doorway.

"Games all set up." She stated, coming towards him. She sat next to him and noticed the popcorn in the microwave.

She gave him a tiny smile. "How did you know?"

"I overheard you and Morgan talking one time. You said you could never resist some popcorn." He chuckled lightly.

"Nope, I never have been able to." She gave him a sad smile.

They had a few moments of silence until the microwave signaled it was done. Hotch got up but Emily did the same, catching his arm, effectively stopping him.

The second he turned to face her, she assaulted his lips. He was shocked at first but he knew she needed this distraction. Whatever she was dealing with, she needed him to be here for her this way. And he most certainly didn't mind doing this for her. No, this actually was quite enjoyable, kissing her like this, having her tongue meld with his. Hotch was on cloud nine.

She put all the energy she had left into the kiss, there lips melding together causing an interesting feeling of friction. And then she pulled away, way to soon for Hotch's liking.

They were both breathing hard.

"Thank you." She let out. "Thank you for coming, thank you for caring, thank you for being the one person here for me."

He gently kissed her again.

"You don't have to thank me." He responded. "Come on, go back to monopoly. I'll get the popcorn and be right out."

For that one moment, despite her father's death, Hotch saw that glimmer on her face. The one that made that tingle increase inside of him. She kissed him again and left the kitchen, to go out to the living room to wait for him.


	3. Chapter 3

Hey all. It's been forever since I've touched this story, I know. Better late than never (: Also, if anyone knows the name of Emily's mother could they please tell me. Thanks so much. I hope everyone enjoys and please review, I'd love any feedback.

I would recommend that you read the first couple of chapters, just because it's been so long.

**Disclaimer: I own nothing, I mean no harm. Blah blah.**

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Emily was having a beautiful dream.

She was on a warm sandy beach, a dark haired supervisor beside her. And the most beautiful sunset was evolving right before their eyes.

The purple and pink made Emily feel like her fathers little princess again.

Just as the sad overtone was about to strike into Emily's consciousness, Hotch wrapped her arms around her and she melted into him. It was a dream, and Emily couldn't help it.

**CRASH!**

The warmth and serenity that Emily was feeling just a second ago had dissipated and now all she felt was a deep throbbing pain in her arm.

She opened her eyes and reality set back in.

As a couple of blue fifties fell in Emily's face from the monopoly game, she realized what had happened. _He pushed me off the couch! Asshole. _She scowled, groaning bitterly as she tried to push herself from the ground.

"Thanks a lot, Aaron." She scolded, sitting up. She looked over at him, and he had a look of pure terror on his face.

Before shoe could inquire, she heard a voice that made her spine tingle.

"Hello, Emily."

She'd know that voice anywhere. The voice of her mother.

Emily cringed before she twisted herself around to only confirm why her boss and/or boyfriend had pushed her off the couch.

There was pure disappointment on her face.

"Mom-"Emily tried, but the Ambassador had already started yelling.

"Oh, excuse me. Hello to you too, Agent Hotchner. How wrong of me not to greet my daughter's **boss.**" The last word was punctuated with hatred. "How are you?" She seethed.

"Ambassador Prentiss, this is not what it seems. Me and Emily…" Hotch stopped talking when he noticed the deep gash on Emily's arm. "Shit Emily, you're bleeding." Hotch grabbed her arm and examined.

"I'm fine." Emily said, trying to pull her arm away.

He ignored her attempts.

"Come on, just sit down. I'll get some band-aids or something." Hotch pulled her onto the couch and kissed her forehead.

"I'm so sorry." He whispered in her ear. He then quickly left the room, heading for the bathroom.

Ambassador Prentiss was shocked by the obvious affection and protection this stone cold agent had for her daughter. He really cared for her, the elder Prentiss could see that. But she would be damned if she allowed her daughter to screw up her career because of a relationship with her boss.

The Ambassador wasted no time as Hotch left the room.

"What the hell is going on?!" She yelled a little louder than Emily felt this situation warranted.

"My arm was slammed into the corner of my coffee table because you disturbed me and my boyfriend. What the hell are you doing here?!" Emily stood up, livid. Her mother had no right to challenge her judgment with men, or anything else for that matter.

"Emily Anne Prentiss, your father's funeral begins in one hour. That is what I am doing here."

Fuck. All the fight and anger in Emily drained out of her as her world came crashing down again.

Emily sank back down into her couch. She realized what today was and what it meant and her heart broke all over again. Her daddy was gone. Tears began to flow.

"Mom, I'm so sorry. I was out of it, I didn't realize. I'm sorry."

The Ambassador was about to open her mouth to speak when Hotch walked back in. He saw a livid mother and her crying daughter. His heart ached for Emily. He rushed right over to her, band-aids, tissues and Neosporin in hand.

"Hey, Em calm down. Shhhh." Hotch said soothingly as he sat down, grabbing her arm. "Em, sweetie, it's gonna be ok. I just need to stop this bleeding. God, I'm sorry. This is one huge gash." He was very afraid that it might need stitches.

Emily looked so overloaded. The onslaughts of not only being caught with your boss by your mother but also it being the morning of your father's funeral; no wonder she was beginning to sob. Hotch pulled her into a tight embrace, kissing her forehead. He was very careful not to get her blood anywhere all well whispering words of comfort to her.

Ambassador Prentiss watched the scene in astonishment. "Emily, I'll be waiting in the car outside. 10 minutes." She stated walking over to the door and leaving.

Emily just sobbed harder.

"This is going to sting, honey, I'm sorry."

Emily just shook her head. She didn't care.

Hotch wiped off the extra peroxide andstarted putting pressure on the nasty gash. She hissed in pain.

"I'm so sorry, Emily. I thought we were in a bed and I just saw your mother. Please forgive me." He said, taping the moderately sized bandage on her arm

"It doesn't matter." She whispered, leaning back and cradling her arm against herself.

Hotch sat beside her for what felt like forever. She was just staring off and he didn't want to rush her into getting ready for her fathers funeral but she was starting to worry him.

Just as he was about to say something, she turned abruptly.

"Come with me to the funeral." He almost couldn't hear the soft plea.

"Of course." He answered immediately.

"Wait, but you don't have a suit or-" She began, her voice still hoarse from crying.

Hotch leaned forward and placed his lips on her gently, effectively getting Emily to shut up.

"I've got my travel bag in my car. I'll go down and grab the cloths." He kissed her again. "I know this hurts Emily. You'll be ok." He whispered to her. They both knew he wasn't talking about her arm. He left.

Emily sat there knowing that even though her mother greatly disapproves of Aaron, her father would have loved him because he treated her the right way. She smiled at this as tears began to fall again.

* * *

Hotch walked with a steady pace as he approached his car. He was so focused on getting back to Emily, that he didn't hear her mother come up behind him.

"Agent Hotchner," Hotch immediately turned with surprise, his body ready for a fight as it had been trained to be. "I get that you care for my daughter, but this is a sure fire way to put a serious dent in both of your careers." The Ambassador just came right out with it. It might have seemed like a suggestion, but it came out sounding very much like a threat.

"As grateful as I am for your concern of ours careers, we both know how to handle ourselves, Ambassador. Whatever happens between us most definitely will stay out of the office." He couldn't be more sure about anything else. He didn't want to stay away from Emily, now that he knew what it was like to be around her outside of work. He wanted it and nothing short of her saying no would keep him away.

"Our jobs will **not** jeopardize a relationship between us." Hotch then verbalized to Ambassador Prentiss.

She took one step closer to him. "You two are just creating a hell of a lot of unnecessary workplace drama." She spat.

"The only person creating drama is you, Ambassador Prentiss. This is not the day to be focusing on my relationship; we have a funeral to get to. So please, make this simple for everyone today. Drop it." He stated, locking his car.

He walked away leaving a fuming Ambassador behind.

"We'll be down in five." Hotch calls back to her.

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Thanks for reading. I hope everyone enjoyed. Happy holidays (: You can look for the next chapter sometime after Christmas.

UDG


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I own nothing.**

Hey guys, thanks for anyone who is sticking with me. I have ideas for the next couple of chapters coming up (: So I hope everyone reads and enjoys. Have a happy holiday season and a good new year.

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He'd been so damn perfect to her all day. He accompanied her to her father's funeral and had then brought her back to her apartment. Just as she had insisted that he left, she broke down and he held her while she cried. He was so damn perfect and Emily couldn't understand why she didn't have it in her to have let him stay.

Once they were back, he had cooked for her to make sure she got something to eat. Then she'd made coffee. They sat on her couch, Emily leaning against his chest as they both unwound from the emotional day. And the second she yawned, she turned and looked at his face and said: "Maybe you should go."

Emily rolled over in her bed, cold. She bunched the blankets around her neck as she remembered Hotch's exit. He had been a perfect gentleman, of course, leaving as soon as she had suggested it. Though Emily had not missed the flash of confusion and maybe even disappointment on his face.

Emily was slightly shocked that Hotch would be disappointed when not to stay with her. Actually, it shocked her quite a bit.

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After a shitty night and a hot shower, Emily walked into the bull pen with a migraine.

"Rough night?"

"You have no idea." Emily muttered to Reid as she sat down.

Derek appeared suddenly, and Emily was thankful because it cut short the onslaught of questions she knew the genius would soon inquire her with. Emily was not in the mood.

"Reid, Hotch wants you in his office." Derek mentions, sitting down.

They young man looks up, taken back slightly, and then quickly leaves. In the background, soft typing and the faint sound of coffee being poured fill the air. Derek speaks suddenly, ruining the quiet ambiance.

"I heard you had a rough weekend."

Shit. Emily can't believe this. How would he even know? Hotch. Of course Hotch has to go telling Derek, he's probably telling Reid right now. The angered agent turns to see Derek facing her, hands folded and wearing his psychologist face.

"Derek," she sighs, "please just…" she trails off, rubbing the back of her neck to try and relieve some of the tension.

"Prentiss, all I wanna say is you I'm here if you want to talk."

"Thanks, I do." Emily smiles at him. She knows that he's only bringing it up because he cares, even though it's annoying the shit out of her.

Emily relaxes into her chair as she boots up her computer, slipping into her familiar work surroundings. Though not for long. Derek soon speaks again.

"Emily, I'm sorry, but what the hell are you doing here?"

"Derek, what do you want from me? I'm not going to stop doing my job just because… because my…" Emily could not bring herself to say it. She desperatly tried agian.

"Because my dad, he- he di-" Emily began to sob recklessly. Her father's dead. Her father is dead! The tears began to build up, and Emily's finding it difficult to see clearly through them.

"Come on." Derek was suddenly in front of her, gently pulling Emily by her wrist and leading her into the break room as discreetly as possible.

Derek pulled out a chair for Emily and quickly got her some napkins to wipe her tears. His helpfulness seems to only have the opposite effect, her sobs increasing. Emily didn't know what was happening to her, but her sobbing was beginning to get louder and uglier. Derek just stood over her, saying comforting things and rubbing circles on her back.

"Shh, Emily, it's ok, really. Let it all out. It's ok." It has no affect. Emily looks up at him with panicked eyes as tears drip down her face.

"Derek, I- I don't know. I'm so sorry." She sobs.

"Don't worry about it," he chuckles a little, at her desperate need to apologize for nothing.

"When I lost my dad, I cried like a baby." Derek offers.

"You were 10." Emily mutters. Derek laughs.

"So? Doesn't matter Em. It hits us all hard, no matter what age."

Derek supplies Emily with a few more napkins and she begins to calm down. Soon the sobs stop completely.

"That's a girl. I'm gonna go find Hotch, and tell him your going home."

"No!" Emily's voice is hoarse from crying. "Derek no."

"He knows, Emily. He won't think less of you, no one does. You need to be home right now, trust me." Derek smiles and turns to leave before Emily really has the chance to protest.

Emily knows that Hotch will soon come in here, but for what she could not predict. The thought of facing him scares her. After sending him home last night, is he going to be angry? Will he lecture her on the importance of holding it all together and not bringing problems to work? Does this mean they are over?

That thought really scares her. Emily feels the sudden need to just curl up into a ball and cry endlessly for hours. Her tears begin to shed even faster, the sobs along with them. Emily hates it.

This is of course the perfect moment for Hotch to walk in, his brown eyes blazing as he sees Emily. She is sitting in a chair near the table holding napkins in her hands, her red cheeks and tear-stained face making her distress obvious. He rushes right Emily.

"Oh Emily," Hotch says warmly. "Come here." His arms are left wide open. And all Emily can do is stare. This behavior is so not Hotch, especially dressed in his suit while at work. Emily was quite frankly shocked that he still wanted her at all.

"Emily?" He questions her.

"I- I don't know what happened." Emily cried. Her sobs were not letting up and the frustration she felt was infuriating. She didn't know why she was being such a cry baby.

Hotch pulls a chair directly in front of her, sitting down and grabbing her hands with his own. He holds them tightly, and strokes his thumb calmly over hers to try and sooth her. His presence was intoxicating to her, and Emily was immediately feeling a bit calmer.

"Emily, you really shouldn't be here. Not so soon. I should have talked to you about this last night." Hotch says gruffly.

"I don't think that would have stopped me." Emily says meekly. "I was so sure that I was ok, last night when we were on my couch. I felt so healed Aaron, I don't know what happened." Emily looks at him, with shame in her eyes. She felt like such a weak woman, not feeling safe if her man wasn't around.

"Baby," he breaths, "Your father died. You need to give yourself more than two seconds to deal with that."

"I know, but I- I wanna be strong enough."

"Shh, don't even go there. You are strong Emily. Out in the field, we see another body or shots are fired and you don't even flinch, you just respond. This is just a lot to take in. This is personal." Hotch's words seem to sooth Emily more than their actual meaning. It worries Hotch when she does not answer.

"Emily," he rests a hand against her cheek, wiping the tears with his thumb, "You need to go home." She stares at him, her skin tingling under his touch.

"Ok," Emily looks up at him and nods, finally giving in.

"Good." He leans over and gently kiss's her forehead and getting up. "I'm sorry to do this to you Em, but we have a case. I'd drive you home otherwise."

"It's fine, Aaron. I'm going to go home and go back to bed." Emily reassures him, and in the process herself a bit.

"Where is the case?" She asks, sniffling.

"Arizona, I believe."

Emily's heart sinks, because that means he most definitely won't be home tonight, and it's possible he won't make it home by Friday.

The disappointment must have shown on her face, because Hotch pulls her into his arms, wrapping his fully around her and whispering into her ear: "Don't worry, I'll be home soon. I promise."

Emily murmurs an "ok" into his chest as she breaths in his scent, savoring it. She didn't want him to go, but what kind of girlfriend would she be if she didn't understand. Emily knew this job and she knew what it took. She had to let him go for now.

Hotch leans in after Emily pulls out of their embrace and he kiss's her, slowly and sensually. The kind of kiss that caused Emily's heart to speed up and her toes to crinkle. The kind of kiss that tells Emily that he wants to be staying in Virginia tonight just as much as she wants him to.

"Bye." She breaths, still blown away by his kiss.

"Goodbye Emily." He whispers. "I'll text you when we land."

The door slams shut, startling Emily. It takes her a full minuet to realize her complete circumstances. The fact that she is at her work and is going home because her father has died. And her team is off hunting down some killer. There was nothing more, in that moment, that Emily wanted to do more than join them. Kicking some psycho ass is exactly what she needs to relieve her stress, not go home and sit idle and bored.

This was a major contradiction to Emily's feeling a mere 20 minuets ago when she was sobbing in front of Derek. Aaron just seemed to have some amazing affect on her, a fantastic revitalization. He just leaves Emily feeling so energized and charged up.

She feels on top of the world, yet lonely and insecure as she stands alone in the break room. The effect was dizzying. Confusion overcame Emily yet again as she decided it was the best thing to just go home, take some aspirin and go back to bed.

If she couldn't be with him, at least she could dream about Aaron.

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Thanks for reading, I hope it was liked!! (: Please drop a review and let me know whatcha think.


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